Didn't Think I'd See You Again
by Isob3l
Summary: Max and the flock had been living on their own for quite awhile. But soon, the flock goes missing and Max never stops looking for them. What happens when after two years, she gets a hint about their whereabouts? Read and Review.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: This is just an idea that I thought about. I love Maximum Ride and I wanted to give this idea a shot. Please review!**

**Never Thought I'd See You Again**

**Chapter 1**

"Max! Please help me!"

Max turned to find the owner of that voice being dragged away by a man in a white coat.

"Angel! No!" she screamed in return.

She tried to reach them, but her wings wouldn't carry her fast enough.

She quickly lost sight of the two in the mass of trees in the forest, just before she collapsed from sheer exhaustion.

"Nudge! Gazzy! Fang! Where are you guys?" she screamed while searching wildly for her flock.

Jeb appeared from a cluster of trees and said calmly, "They're gone Max. They've been taken and you can't save them."

Max felt angry tears fall from her cheeks and yelled, "What do you know? Where are they?"

"Max they're all gone. They've been missing for a while and they are most likely dead. You can look all you want, but you will never find them."

Max started crying whole-heartedly (which was very out of character for her) and she yelled, "No! It can't be true!"

But she knew it was.

"In fact," Jeb continued, "It's only a matter of time before some lucky scientist finds you himself."

Max swallowed her tears and let her anger consume her.

She lunged at him.

She saw him disappear, but it was too late to stop herself.

Suddenly, the forest floor was miles below her and her wings just couldn't seem to comply.

She struggled to make her wings save her, but it was futile.

She was falling to her imminent death and no one could save her.

Not even Fang.

The ground became closer and she braced for impact.

She shut her eyes unable to bear looking at her undoer.

Max opened her eyes to find herself in the cave she decided to camp in for the night.

"A dream," she muttered to herself soothingly.

But it wasn't really all a dream

Her flock had been missing for almost 2 years and no matter how hard she looked, she couldn't find them.

She glanced at her small, flickering campfire.

Fang had always made the fires.

Max sighed.

She pulled the animal she had been roasting off of the make-shift spit and clanked at her dinner.

It was a desert rat.

A very unlucky desert rat.

Max was in a desert in Arizona.

It was one of the thousands of places she'd looked for her flock.

No matter how many times she convinced herself that they were gone, she couldn't stop looking for them.

She briefly allowed herself the luxury of remembering Nudge's voice.

And Angel's curly blonde mane.

And Iggy's and Gazzy's bombs.

And Fang's crooked smile that made her heart practically leap out of her chest.

She quickly felt tears coming on, so she stopped remembering.

Max refused to pity herself when her flock were in danger.

She barely remembered how they looked.

She pulled a map out of her bag and placed an X over Arizona.

She'd spent weeks scouring the area.

She'd soon need a new map because this one was falling apart.

She frowned and whispered, "Where are you guys?"

She took a bite into her rat and heard a voice in her head; make that the voice in her head say,_ closer than you think. _

**A/N: What do you guys think? I'm not so sure about it and I won't update unless I get some reviews. It's an ultimatum. Deal with it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I'd like to thank tallmiss for an amazingly nice review. Whoever posted that other review, I'm not sure if you like it, hate it, or reviewed the wrong story. Thank you for the err… criticism? Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, Coke or Indian food.**

**Chapter 2**

Max dropped the rat she was eating in shock.

The Voice hadn't spoken to her in months and whenever it did speak it said something irrelevant like, "I think there is a sale in that store for new clothes," or something like that.

Max was so surprised that she inquired, "Where are they?" aloud.

Max waited for its response before asking again, this time in her head, "Where are they? If you don't tell me I swear I'll-" She stopped because she didn't know what she could possibly do to harm the voice in her head, but she'd figure out a way.

The Voice remained silent, obviously content with making her angry.

Max felt a quick burst of something she hadn't felt since the flock had been taken.

Hope.

She quickly tried to squash it before she got disappointed, but she was unsuccessful.

"Pull yourself together, Max. They've been gone for a year. There's no chance that they're…" she trailed off, unable to admit to herself the possibility of them being dead.

Max picked her rat off of the floor and threw it off the cliff, having lost her appetite.

She laid down and tried to fall asleep. But, as usual, every time she shut her eyes she was haunted with the images of her flock.

She sat up quickly and ran off the cliff.

She let herself free-fall before whipping out her wings and flying into the closest town.

_I need to get out of my head for a while, _she thought briefly.

When the town was about a mile away, she landed and walked the rest of the way.

No need to freak out the natives.

She was immediately attacked by the smell of spices.

The town was old and its only restaurant was an Indian restaurant.

Max had never gone in because the smell was so repugnant, but she was hot and thirsty and the restaurant was air conditioned.

Max grabbed a seat at the bar and pulled out the credit card her mom had given her before she left.

She'd hardly ever used it and she allowed herself a second to recall their last encounter.

_It was a sweltering night, but rainclouds threatened a chance of a storm._

_Max stood facing two women._

_One was no older than 16 and the other looked like her mother. She was._

"_Max," the younger one whimpered, "I'll miss you."_

"_I'll miss you two Ella, but I need to save the flock. They've always been my family," Max replied._

_Ella started to cry lightly and Max restrained herself from giving her a hug._

_It'd be easier this way, she'd told herself._

_The older one was fighting to hold back tears. She said, "You can always come back. Take this," she handed her a credit card, "It will let me know where you are. I'll take care of the bill and let me know when you've found them."_

_Max nodded and gulped._

"_Good luck sweetie," she said again._

_She came in for a hug, which Max skillfully dodged._

_She feared that she would never leave if their goodbyes lasted much longer._

_Her mom looked heartbroken, but she quickly shook it off and waved._

_She was losing the fight against her tears._

"_Good bye, and thank you," Max said before taking off, tears blinding her way._

Max shook off the memory and sat at the bar.

She ordered a Coke and handed the man her card.

The bartender looked at her dubiously, but went to fetch her Coke anyway.

Max looked to the tv and saw that there was news broadcast on.

The news anchors were hashing out a story about the President or something like that.

Max ignored it until she heard one of the anchors say, "This just in, a weapons facility just East of Arizona has exploded today. The cause is unknown and there were no survivors."

Max stared at the screen intently and yelled at the bartender, "Turn it up!"

He complied and Max listened intently.

"Apparently," the anchor continued, "The scientist in charge was working on a DNA experiment of some sort. He called it a 'human weapon'. Now, Dr. Wilson is currently dead, but officials are searching the wreckage for any survivors they might've missed."

Max sank down in her chair and had the words, 'no survivors,' echo in her head.

Even though the news anchors claimed that everyone was dead, Max decided to check it out anyway.

Besides, the news anchors wouldn't have known that flock was there, and they could've flown away safely.

Max refused to get her hopes up, but she couldn't help her relief at finally having a starting point.

Max paid her bill and left.

She quickly bought a map and took off.

**A/N: It's longer than my last story and I really hope you liked it. You should click that little review button and leave me a present. **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'd like thank everyone who reviewed my story! It's always nerve wracking to write a new story and I'm so glad that everyone is being so nice! Thank you guys! Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 3**

It wasn't hard for Max to find the facility.

From the air it looked like quite a bit of rubble. And the helicopters and police cars didn't hurt either.

Max landed behind a pile of rocks and waited for the cops to take a break before going to examine the wreckage.

Max dug around for what felt like forever and yet she found nothing to signify that the flock had even been there or was alive.

Max was about to give up when she came across a single white feather.

Both Gazzy and Angel had white feathers.

And they'd been taken together.

Max faced the realization that maybe the flock wasn't all together.

After all, they'd been taken at all different times.

Fang had been taken first. Nudge and Iggy had soon followed. Angel and Gazzy were the last to be taken.

All of them had gone missing before Max knew what was happening.

It suddenly dawned on her of who she was dealing with.

They had all been taken while they were together and they were smart enough to separate the flock.

Whoever had taken them, certainly knew what they were doing. And they were good at what they did.

Max shook it off and focused on the feather. It was obviously from one of them and Gazzy had probably managed to blow the lab up.

_Where could they have gone?_ Max asked herself.

Max heard the revving of an engine and decided to split before she got caught.

She broke into a run and took off into the air.

She flew away from the town and used her raptor vision to scan the area for the two.

Max knew that they couldn't have gone too far. They would've been way too tired.

Max quickly began losing hope as the sun set and she still hadn't spotted them.

Max landed on a cliff and laid down, too tired to move.

Out of desperation she screamed out as loud as she could with her mind, _Angel! Where are you?_

Before drifting off to sleep, she thought she heard in her mind, _Max? Is that you?_

Max jolted up and said frantically with her mind, _Angel! Yes! It's Max! Where are you?_

Angel took a minute before responding with _We're on a cliff somewhere in Arizona. We're a few miles away from where we were held. Where are you?_

Max realized that their positions were similar.

She yelled aloud, "Angel! Gazzy!"

She listened as her voice echoed through the mountain.

She almost spoke mentally to Angel when she heard the soft cry of "Max!"

Max didn't hesitate to take off in the direction of the voice.

A few minutes later, she saw two huddled masses on a nearby cliff.

She landed and the three embraced each other in a big hug.

Max felt tears fall down her face.

Gazzy and Angel were weeping too.

Max pulled back to get a look at them and immediately wished she hadn't.

Their clothes were torn and dirty. Their faces were caked with dirt.

They had blood covering their clothes too.

Max cringed and cried harder.

She quickly recollected herself and inquired, "Who were they?"

Gazzy replied, "They were some crazy scientists. They believed that our wings were a gift that we needed to share with the world."

Angel added, "They performed all kind of crazy tests on us! They have the others too! They're all in different locations all around the world. They have thousands of facilities."

Max nodded.

"God, the others. We weren't there as long as them. Fang's been with them for almost two years or so! Poor, poor Fang! We hardly resisted! I doubt they wouldn't! Iggy and Nudge! They are so cruel, Max! We have to save them," Angel sobbed.

Max stroked her back comfortingly and whispered, "Shhh, shhh, it's okay. We'll find them. And we'll save them. They might've already escaped and are looking for us, for all we know."

Angel nodded reluctantly.

"There's a town a few miles back. What would you say to some new clothes, a nice dinner and maybe we could wash you guys off somehow?" Max inquired.

Angel's eyes glistened and Gazzy nodded excitedly.

"Alright, let's go. Then we can get some rest."

They nodded.

The three started to fly there and Max's feeling of elation only became bigger.

Maybe once she was in town, she could call her mom and tell her the news.

Although Max was pleased that she'd found Gazzy and Angel, she couldn't help the feeling of absolute terror she felt when she thought of what was happening to Nudge, Iggy and Fang.

**A/N: I'm sorry if it sucks, I'm not feeling too well. I'm sick. So cut me a little slack and leave me tons of nice reviews to make me feel better, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: So, you've probably noticed that I didn't update yesterday like I normally do. That is because I didn't get any reviews for my new chapter. I didn't think anyone liked it so I spent extra time. So if you want me to update daily, you'll have to review. Chapter 1, I got 2 reviews. Chapter 2, I got 3. Frankly I'm hoping for 4 or 5. Please review so that I know you like it and want me to keep updating daily. Gotta love ultimatums. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, Indian food, or hotels of any kind. I'm not that smart, rich or talented. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 4**

Max had to practically carry Angel and Gazzy into town.

Needless to say, they were exhausted.

Max decided to spare them the agony of Indian food, although they would've eaten just about anything and loved it at that point, and she checked them into the only motel in town.

It had a restaurant, but only guests could eat at it.

The room was relatively nice. It was very homey.

Then, Max begrudgingly left to get them some clothes, making Angel promise to warn her if anything was off. She drew Angel a hot bath before leaving.

She went quickly into town and picked up 2 new outfits for both of them. She made sure that they could fight in them though. And when she got back she cut holes in the back of the shirts for their wings.

When she did get home, she was relieved to find Gazzy and Angel in the same spots she left them.

Angel begrudgingly left her bath and changed into her new clothes. Max then drew a second bath for Gazzy, who was eager to have one for once in his life.

Once Max was sure they were comfortable, she headed for the phone.

Even though she had memorized her mom's number, Max took out the piece of paper it was written on.

She quickly dialed the number and anxiously waited while it rang.

Ella picked up on the third ring.

"Hello?" Ella said.

Max almost cried at the sound of her voice.

"Hello?" Ella inquired more urgently.

Max became aware that all Ella could hear was her ragged breaths and some people would find that creepy. So she quickly whispered, "Ella?"

Ella paused and then replied, "Max? Is that you? Are you okay? Where are you? How's the flock?"

Max paused and tried to gather the questions in her head. Ella had spoken very quickly.

"Umm…" she began, "Yes, yes, Phoenix, Arizona and I haven't found all of them yet."

"You haven't found all of them yet? Who have you found?"

"Gazzy and Angel. Look, I'm really glad to talk you and all, but I'm in a bit of a hurry. Could you put mom on?" Max inquired, frustrated.

"Mhm," she replied sadly.

Max heard a scuffle in the other line and then her mom's voice said clearly, "Max? I heard that you found Gazzy and Angel. Is that true?"

At the sound of her mom's voice, Max broke down from the pure frustration of her situation. She'd been on the road for nearly two years, terrified for her flock. She couldn't shut her eyes for fear that she'd be again haunted by their mangled faces. She had been deprived of a stable home most of her life, but everything had been okay with flock there, but the sadistic scientists had seen fit to deprive her of that as well as her piece of mind.

Max quickly summed up her life for the past two years, sobbing the entire time.

"Max, it's okay. You have a name. Know all you have to do is look up all of their locations and systematically go through all of the locations," her mom cooed soothingly.

Max sniffled and stopped crying. After regaining her composure, she replied, "Yeah. You're right. Thanks… mom."

"You're welcome, sweetie."

There was a lengthy silence between the two, which was ended when Max said, "Well, I… uuh… gotta go, I guess. Gotta go save the rest of the flock and stuff."

"Mhm. Yeah, but it was nice to hear from you, Max."

"You, too," Max replied before hanging up abruptly.

Max returned to the living room she'd left Angel in.

Gazzy had joined her. He was wearing a bathrobe and a towel wrapped along his gold locks.

"How's Mrs. Martinez?" Angel inquired without looking up from the magazine she was reading.

"Fine. She sends her love," Max replied like _normal_ people would when other _normal _people asked how that same _normal _person's mom was in _normal _situations.

But, despite her response, nothing about their lives were ever, have ever or will ever be normal.

Angel looked at Max dubiously, obviously reading her mind, but decided against pushing it.

"Room service?" Gazzy asked cheerfully.

Max nodded and tossed Gazzy and Angel menus.

Angel and Gazzy scoured the menus until they saw the word pizza, then all they looked at was toppings.

They ordered 6 pizzas (2 for Gazzy, 2 for Angel, and 2 for Max).

Max debriefed the pair on exactly what had happened to them during their stay at 'Casa de Crazy' while they ate and almost immediately wished she hadn't.

Angel sent her mental pictures when Gazzy's words weren't accurate, which made it that much worse.

Max felt fury and pure terror for her poor flock.

They still had Fang, Nudge and Iggy in their grasp and Max made it her purpose to free them.

They had done many experiments on them and they would torture them for information.

The pair looked okay because they hadn't been tortured recently, but Max could see the scars they tried so hard to hide. Max grimaced and Angel yawned purposely, sensing that story-time was over.

"Oh. You guys have had a rough few… years, I guess. Let's get you two to bed," Max concluded.

Gazzy and Angel shuffled into the only bedroom and climbed into the king sized bed together.

When Max heard their soft snoring, she went to the door, put a do not disturb sign up and locked it.

For extra precaution, Max placed a table up against and a vase just hanging off enough so that if the door shifted slightly it would fall and alert the entire house.

She locked all of the windows and then locked herself in the room Gazzy and Angel slept in.

She did the same precautionary measure for that door, too. Then, for the window, she rigged it so that if it opened, a rope would pull a lamp off of the windowsill.

Max smile at her ingenuity and creativity.

_No one is taking my flock again, _she mused to herself.

She yanked down the blind.

She had also made sure to request a room on the highest floor.

That may have turned out to be only on the third floor, but it would still be a very noticeable climb.

Max grabbed a chair and pulled it over to their bedside.

She then walked over to the computer in the room and searched 'Hayne's Weapon Production.'

One of the links was the actual website so she clicked on that and from there she was able to get the locations of all of their labs. There were over 50.

_This is gonna take forever, _she complained to herself.

Nonetheless, she marked them down on her map, along with exact coordinates and printed them out, just to be sure.

She also printed out info about head researchers in each lab and the big bosses.

She quietly crammed them in her bag and sat in the chair she'd set up.

Max had the intent to stay awake all night, but sometime at 3 a.m. she must've dozed off because all Max could remember, were the nightmares that followed.

**A/N: Thanks for reading and even though I'm not getting tons of reviews (*tear*) a bunch of people are favoriting this story! So, thanks to you guys, too, the unsung heroes of fanfiction. Now, excuse me if this is lame but, that adorable little review button is pregnant and donating the kids. If you want to be the proud owner of a nice little review click now! Again, sorry if that was lame. I write romances and adventures, not comedies. It's because I'm not clever or funny. Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: I got a ton of new nice reviews! Thank you all guys! I'm all flattered! A few people wanted me to save Fang immediately. But as the saying goes, save the best for last. I will get to him and his… err… situation. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I owned this fanfiction, it wouldn't suck this much. I am totally not James Patterson, I just like writing about his stories.**

**Chapter 5**

"Fang!" Max screeched, seeing Fang, on his knees in the middle of a forest.

It was dark, but it wasn't night. Max didn't know how she knew that, she just did.

She also knew that Fang was hurt.

His back was to her, but his stance was weak and haggard.

Max reached him and touched his shoulder to turn him around.

He had the hairy face of an Eraser. But his eyes were entirely Fang's. They were dark and for once they gave something away.

_Malice._

He wanted to hurt Max.

And that was something those eyes have never showed her.

Max screamed and fell backwards. She began crawling backwards on her hands and feet, scrambling to get away.

Eraser Fang stood up and smiled cruelly, like Ari would, and approached her slowly.

Max backed into something hard and skinny.

She looked up to find that she'd backed into Iggy's legs.

She almost wept in relief, but she saw that his face was replaced by an Eraser's too.

Eraser Fang was coming closer by the second and Eraser Iggy swung at Max, which she narrowly avoided.

Forgetting her wings, she scrambled to her feet and dashed for the trees.

Something told her that there she'd be safe, something that she decided to trust.

She was about a foot away from the trees when three other figures stepped out from them.

They were Iggy, Nudge and Angel.

Max froze in her tracks and screamed louder than ever.

She tried to backtrack, but Eraser Iggy and Fang had blocked all possible exits. Except the air.

Max remembered that she could fly and launched herself into the air.

However, the Eraser flock quickly did the same.

Eraser Angel rammed into Max's stomach, knocking the wind out of her.

Eraser Gazzy body slammed her head, which caused her to free fall.

Eraser Iggy and Nudge each grabbed a wing and pulled her to the ground.

When Max collided with the ground, they held her wings down.

She tried kicking her legs and her arms, but Gazzy restrained her legs and Angel grabbed her arms. The entirety of the Eraser flock was stronger than normal.

Max's eyes began to tear as Eraser Fang strode to next to her with an evil smile on his face.

"Your turn, Max," he whispered evilly in a very un-Fanglike voice.

He growled like an Eraser.

Max was scared out of her mind. This was not her flock. The School changed them! They hurt them and genetically mutated them. They made them evil.

"It's your fault," they all said in unison.

It was her fault.

Fang pulled out a scalpel and bent down, bringing it to her face.

Max started screaming.

"Max! Max are you okay? Max wake up!' Angel screamed.

Max pried her eyes open. She saw Gazzy and Angel leaning over her protectively.

She was on their bed.

She sat up and a wet cloth fell off of her head. She was sweating.

"Yeah, what happened?" Max inquired hazily.

"You were screaming something about Erasers. I think you were having a nightmare," Gazzy replied.

Max could feel Angel probing her mind, but she was too distraught to prevent her.

Angel's mind pulled away and she looked at Max sadly.

She finally understood the toll their disappearances had taken on her.

"It's not your fault. There's nothing you could have done. We'll find them and they'll be fine. Maybe they've already escaped," Angel consoled.

Gazzy looked confused, but he stroked her back anyway.

Max nodded numbly, but she knew it wasn't true.

It was her fault.

She lost them. It had taken two years just to find two of them and that was because they freed themselves already. Now, the rest of them were being experimented on. And they'd been there longer and they would be there longer until she could find them. She limited the list, but by how much? She'd need to infiltrate each and get info and then shut down each plant to prevent this from happening again. And she had already acknowledged how dangerous they were.

The flock's fearless leader Maximum was scared.

And it had started to leave the realm of worries and nightmares.

It was starting to affect her sanity.

If she didn't find the rest of the flock soon and in one piece, she didn't know how bad she would get.

Max frowned at her own frailty.

She needed to snap out of it.

She was Maximum Ride. The fear of all scientists and the brave, reliable leader that everyone looked up to for guidance. The girl Fang fell in love with.

But without the flock, she was nothing.

She was just Max.

She had never been just Max without the flock.

Frankly, she wasn't too sure who 'just Max' was.

Worst of all, she wasn't sure she wanted to.

**A/N: Sorry if Max is a little O.O.C, but she's been looking for 2 years and she's found practically nothing. Even our fabulous max can have breakdowns. Anyway, I know there isn't much action in this one and I'm sorry, but I wanted to let you into Max's head a little bit. Please, please review! Please with a cherry on top?**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: I'd love to thank tallmiss and VyolytSky13 for being awesome reviewers! Writing this story is so much fun with amazing reviewers like you guys! So, I'm gonna try to get Max a little more in character. I tried to show you that she relied on the flock and all and I tried to humanize her a little bit from the earless Max we all know and love. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I wish…**

**Chapter 6**

"Max? Are you feeling better?" a voice murmured soothingly.

For a minute, Max let herself hope that the voice was Fang and the past years were a dream, but when she opened her eyes, she found Gazzy standing over her.

Max felt her heart plummet as the reality of the situation washed over her once again.

"Mhm. Tons better Gazzy. Thanks," she replied, getting up.

She warily blinked her eyes a few times, recalling Angel and Gazzy taking watch and forcing her to sleep.

Gazzy smiled briefly and Max ruffled his blonde hair like she used to.

It was longer than it had been. Max doubted that the scientists would have thought to cut it.

Angel walked in, carrying a tray of food. It was enough to feed the entire hotel. Or town.

Max smiled and felt her stomach growl.

Angel placed down the tray of food and immediately the three dropped the pretense of civility and dug in.

When they had demolished the plate Angel inquired, "There's no need to waste any more time. What's the gameplan?"

Max searched her back and pulled out the papers she had priorly printed out and handed them to Angel.

Angel scanned them and passed them to Gazzy, who handed them back to Max.

"There are a lot of labs aren't there?" Angel inquired fearfully.

Max nodded and questioned, "How did you escape?"

Gazzy replied, "Well they were transporting me and Ange to a new room for testing, but we passed a weapons lab. They were working on explosives. Angel convinced him to let us go and I hit the rest of them really hard. The alarms went off, but I grabbed mildly harmful explosives and worked my magic on them. I threw it and we ran. I didn't want to kill them, but…" he trailed off.

Max nodded and placed a gentle hand on his. He sniffled and smiled lightly.

"We are gonna be systematically work at this this. There are fewer in Europe so we'll do those last. We'll start in California and work our way over," Max ordered.

"I dunno Max," Angel conceded.

"What?" Max inquired angrily. She did not want another attack at her leadership. Even though she had shown vulnerability last night, that didn't mean that she couldn't lead.

Sensing this, Angel replied, "I don't want to be leader anymore. I couldn't have saved us from our prison, but if you were there you could've. I'm not quite ready. I know that now. My worry is that it would take too long to check them all."

"We have to be thorough," Max pushed.

"I know, but we also have to be quick."

"What would you suggest?"

Angel paused, gathering her thoughts, and then continued, "Well, I think the scientists were too clever to put us anywhere close to each other. We'd probably be in the labs farthest way."

Max nodded, sensing her logic.

Angel grabbed Max's map and a Sharpie and drew a black circle around a large area near Arizona.

"We can eliminate these. I suggest we start with the five in Europe."

She looked up at Max, searching for approval.

Max smiled and replied, "That's genius Angel. If we hurry, we can get to England, the first location, before dark."

Gazzy smiled and started gathering food to bring along.

Max and Angel began having a silent conversation.

Angel thought to Max, _Who do you think we'll find first?_

Max replied, _I don't know, but Angel you need to prepare yourself for the changes they'll have undergone._

_Changes?_

_Well, you were only there for a short while. They've been there years. You guys are also too young to do too many experiments on. The might be totally deformed or different._

Angel nodded and replied, _I know, but you need to prepare yourself for them being the different, too._

_What are you talking about?_

_Gazzy and I returned just the same and that made you mad with guilt. I think to help yourself cope you've convinced yourself that they're fine and that the damage is reparable. It might not be._

Max's mouth was agape and she was too stunned to reply.

Gazzy came over and obliviously said, "Let's get going. I'm ready to kick some crazy scientist butt."

Max nodded, still shocked at Angel's revelation.

Was that true?

Max numbly stood and went to the lobby to check-out.

The group left town and launched themselves into the air, using their natural sense of direction to guide them to England.

And hopefully their flock.

**A/N: I know that there's not a lot of action, but they needed a plan so, this chapter was necessary. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Please keep reading and reviewing! Please, please, please with a cherry on top review? And theirs sprinkles! Tempted? Give in to temptation!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I'd love to thank all of my amazing reviewers! VyolytSky13 gave me my idea for this next chapter. I figured we could check in on the flock. This takes place while Max, Gazzy and Angel are attacking the weapons institute in England. Please bear with me! You guys have all been asking about Fang so I'd figure I'd let you know. You didn't expect him to just sit there and be experimented on, did you? **

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned, I just contort it in a way that I like. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 7**

**Fang's P.O.V**

Fang sat in a corner in his cell with a smile on his face.

Someone in his situation had nothing to smile about, but for some reason his smile wouldn't go away.

He'd been in captive for 2 years and he'd been honing his ability for two years. And in a few minutes he would show them the true extent of his now mastered ability.

The door slammed open and a burst of sunlight flooded the dark cellar that had been Fang's prison for so long.

Fang waited patiently for the guard to come get him for his daily testing. Although sometimes, it felt like his daily mugging.

The guard stopped and talked to the sentry near Fang's cell.

Fang craned his neck to listen.

The guard had said, "He's not very happy. Apparently the weapons facility that had been holding the younger ones exploded and they are nowhere to be found. We think the leader's found them."

_The leader? The two younger ones? Max! They didn't get her! But they did get Angel and Gazzy! Maybe they got Nudge and Iggy, too! _Fang thought to himself.

"Yeah," the guard continued, "They've also attacked the lab in England looking for information on this one and the other two."

"They're very close to this one. I think they're gonna hit the Dublin one next and then Scotland. Then after that they'll hit us here in Italy. We should move him," the sentry replied.

"The director is stubborn. He thinks we'll be fine. Let's just hope they don't find the other two in-"

"Shhh… if he does get out, I won't have you telling him their location," the sentry interrupted.

"That reminds me. This one's in for quite a bit of more pain today. The director wants to test that new machine on him. That'll hurt like hell," the guard resumed.

The sentry chuckled as if this was funny and they walked to the cell.

Fang smiled again stood in preparation.

They stood in front of his cage and looked directly at Fang, with a scared look on their faces.

"Where is he?" the guard yelled.

"I don't know," he replied, struggling with the cage.

He unlocked and the two stepped into the cell and scanned desperately for a hiding spot.

Fang slipped out secretly and slid the door shut without them noticing.

"You were supposed to make sure he didn't leave! How do you not know?" The guard screeched again.

Fang smiled at the keys in the lock and turned them, locking the guard and the sentry in the cage. The pair turned around and looked at the now visible Fang in shock.

"How-" the sentry began.

"I hope he doesn't use that machine on you. Now where are the other two hidden?" Fang inquired aggressively.

"I'll never tell you," the guard replied indignantly.

"Wrong answer," Fang concluded before turning to the large on and off switch next to the cage.

"Please, no," the sentry begged.

"I bet you don't think the 'shocking cell' is a good idea now," Fang said.

"They'll hear us," the guard warned.

"Isn't it you who bragged about the soundproof walls? You said, and I quote, 'No one will be able to hear you scream,'" Fang mused.

The two stood there silently and Fang put a hand on the lever, ready to pull.

"Wait!" the sentry screeched, "I'll tell you!"

"Now we're getting somewhere," Fang muttered.

"They're somewhere in America. Uuumm… Florida or New Jersey or something," the sentry concluded.

Fang nodded and turned to leave. He quickly removed and pocketed the keys before turning invisible again and running off.

He quietly navigated himself through the laboratory until he found an open window.

He stood for a moment, contemplating being free and flying for the first time in years. It was like riding a bike that much he knew.

He jumped out the window and spread out his wings, enjoying the rush he always felt when he flew.

Fang's entire face broke out into a smile and he used his internal sense of direction to take him to Dublin where he would find Max.

Fang smiled widely at the thought of seeing Max again.

And although he hadn't figured out exactly where Iggy and Nudge were he knew what area they were at.

They were in the Eastern Time zone and that limited things quite a bit.

Fang smiled again at the prospect of reuniting the flock.

Then they could focus on taking down the creeps who had experimented on him.

In the distance, Fang could hear the lab's alarms going back. But by the time they would go to look for him, he'd be long gone.

**A/N: Thanks for reading. I decided that I wanted Fang to free himself, but I figured what better way to explain it was have you read it happen. Anyway, please review! I don't get a lot.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I'd love to thank all of my reviewers! You guys are amazing! Thanks a ton! Alright, everyone ready for my next chapter? Too bad, it's coming anyway! Enjoy!**

**Chapter 8**

"So that last institute was pointless. They wouldn't tell us anything about them," Angel complained.

"Did you really think they would?" Max retorted, even though she was a little frustrated herself.

"Maybe he's not even here," Gazzy conceded.

"I don't care. We can't take that risk," Max exclaimed.

They were sitting a few feet away from the Institute in Dublin.

They had obviously heard of their attack on the one in England because there were guards patrolling the area fervently.

"You're right. How are we gonna get past the guards?" Gazzy inquired.

"How do you feel about causing a little," she searched for the right words, "diversion?"

Gazzy smiled brilliantly and replied, "Give me 5 minutes. Where do you want it?"

"Off to the side. Far enough so that they'll have to be away from their posts, but close enough so that they can see and hear it."

Gazzy nodded and took off in the direction of some nearby hills.

True to his words, he returned 4 minutes later and they heard a large explosion.

So did all of the guards, who immediately rushed towards the explosion.

Max, Angel and Gazzy slipped forward and flew into the air.

Just like last time, they searched for an open window and just like last time, there was one.

They slid in and silently slinked through the empty halls, ducking whenever Angel detected another mind.

The entire time, Angel was scanning for the main doctor. Every lab had one and they knew the most.

"Here," Angel said, pointing at the door across from them.

Max smiled and nodded.

"He's alone," Angel said again.

Silent as a ghost, Max opened the door and the three slid in.

Gazzy and Angel locked the door and went to grab his desk.

The doctor turned around and looked at the three terrified.

Angel and Gazzy lifted up his desk and placed it in front of the door.

Gazzy opened the nearest window and the doctor opened his mouth to speak.

Max cut him off, "I'd keep quiet if I were you. I'm already not too pleased with you creeps taking and torturing my family."

"Your family?" he inquired.

Max spread out her wings and the doctor's eyes widened.

"You're one of those winged children! I have none with me. I would've loved to be able to test on-"he tried.

"You see that's where you lose me. How would you feel if I experimented on you and your family?" Max inquired.

"Not too good I suppose, but this is for the good of humanity. It's a necessary toll," he replied.

"Now you're pissing me off. You've had them for two years. I want them back. Where are they?" Max demanded angrily.

The doctor stood up and said, "I'm afraid I can't tell you that. You see, we were expecting you. And now that I have you, I can't let you go."

He stepped toward her and instinctively she stepped back.

Almost out of nowhere, 6 cyborg type things stepped out of the woodwork.

"Wha-," Max voiced.

"I hope you surrender before they maim you, slightly."

Max started to worry. She motioned for Angel and Gazzy to leave. Gazzy obeyed, but Angel looked doubtful.

_Max, _Angel thought to her, _What about you?_

_Go, save me later if you have to. Leave and go to the hills. If I'm not out in ten leave. _Max thought back.

Angel nodded and jumped out and Max saw them fly away.

"I'm not going to surrender," Max concluded.

The doctor nodded sadly and yelled, "Attack!"

Immediately the robots lunged at Max. They were so quick that Max only had a few seconds to respond.

She quickly ducked and lashed out with her foot, feeling it immediately connect with cold hard metal.

Max cringed and the robot flew backwards. Max smiled satisfied, but found it painful to put weight on her foot.

The robots crowded around her, swinging out with their arms and leaving Max with a series of bruises.

She felt herself slowly being overpowered. She had taken out 2 robots and injured one, but the other three weren't being affected by her attacks.

Max felt a blow to her ribs and collapsed to her knees.

The doctor yelled out in his thick Irish accent, "Cease! She's ready to be restrained."

Max struggled to stand up, but found it nearly impossible.

Max frowned indignantly and spat in the doctor's direction.

"Such a lovely specimen," he cooed.

Max again struggled to stand.

"Don't harm yourse- Ooof!" The doctor screeched, falling backwards.

The robots looked around confused, but the one closet to Max flew back also.

Soon, they all began to feel around for an enemy that they couldn't see.

A second one fell back and the third one looked around fearfully.

At the last second, it decided to lunge at Max, but halfway in the air it flew away too.

Max felt a strong pair of hands grab her and carry her bridal-style to the window.

The person jumped and flew out to the hills, where Gazzy and Angel were supposed to be waiting.

When they were close enough to the ground, Max felt the person land and lay her on the ground.

Max looked around rapidly for her savior and she yelled out, "Show yourself!"

Angel and Gazzy looked at Max like she was insane.

"Sorry," a deep voice chuckled from behind Max.

"Sometimes I forget that I'm doing it," it boomed again.

Max turned to see a tall, skinny and dark guy standing before her.

He had dark eyes and a half smile that made Max's heart leap out of her chest.

He was also bruised deeply and he had cuts and scars everywhere. He had a black eye and Max felt tears come to her eyes.

"Fang," she whispered hopefully.

Fang smiled deeply and with some pain, as if he hadn't smiled in a while and it was painful.

Max struggled to stand, but immediately Fang lowered himself and pulled Max into a hug.

Max felt tears stream down her face and Gazzy and Angel joined the hug.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," she sobbed.

"You can't get rid of me that easy," he replied.

Max calmed herself down and pulled away.

"Nice rescue by the way. I saved myself, Gazzy and Angel saved themselves. I'm starting to think you weren't really looking," he teased.

Max smacked him on the arm like old times.

"How did you get out?" Max inquired.

"I'm too amazing and smart to keep locked down. You should know that by now," he replied.

Max started laughing, but grimaced as she felt a sharp pain in her side.

Fang's eyebrows furrowed in worry.

"God, I'm gone for like 2 years and you fall apart without me," Fang muttered.

Max started laughing again, despite the pain.

**A/N: I know I said save the best for last, but I couldn't bear to write a Fang-less fanfic. It was excruciating. Anyway, review. That is an order. Not a request.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of my amazing reviewers! Give yourselves a big hug from me! Anyway, I know that it seems like Fang appeared out of nowhere, and I suppose he did. So I'm gonna try to explain a little. Alright, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned here. But I do own the bad guys and their robots. I also own the fate of the flock and the knowledge of Iggy and Nudge's location. Can James Patterson say that?**

**Chapter 9**

Fang, Angel and Gazzy flew Max to the nearest town, so that they could take care of her.

They retracted their wings and entered the nearest hotel, where they requested a room and a first aid kit.

A very kind Irish barmaid was more than pleased to find _Fang _a room and to give him her number for, 'in case they needed anything.' Fang gave her his half-smile and thanked her in that endearing way of his.

Max frowned all they to their room.

Taking notice Fang inquired, "Are you in pain? What's wrong?"

Fang was almost entirely supporting her, despite her protests that she was fine.

She shrugged briefly, not wanting to reveal her jealousy.

Fang studied her for a while and then dismissed it.

Max's frown deepened.

Fang looked at her again and said nonchalantly, "Sophie was helpful."

"Sophie?" Max scoffed.

"The barmaid," he answered.

"Mhm. She certainly was eager to give you her number in case of emergencies," Max replied.

Fang smiled lightly, realizing the source of her anger. Or her jealousy.

However, he did nothing to quell her suspicion. Max raised an eyebrow in suspicion, but decided not to push him. She was, in fact, being a little silly.

Last time she had seen him he had told her that he loved her. He had escaped and saved her. Feelings like that don't just go away.

At least, they hadn't for her.

Angel patted her arm soothingly, obviously having read her mind.

Max quickly began thinking about food defensively.

They came to their room and did indeed find a first aid kit.

Fang set Max on the bed and began assessing her wounds.

"Your ankle is sprained. Stay off of it and ice it. It should feel fine in the morning. That's a lie. It'll hurt like hell, but you'll be able to use it," Fang recommended.

He then felt her ribs and Max grimaced in pain.

"Angel go get some paper towels and fill them with ice," Fang commanded.

To Max he said, "It's not broken. It would hurt a hell of a lot more if it was broken. They're just bruised slightly."

"How do you know all of this?" Max inquired.

"I had to fix myself up a few times," he replied.

Max questioned fearfully, "Was it bad?"

In response Fang stood and lifted up his shirt.

Max's first thought was to his abs. It was, _Wow. Impressive._

Then she noticed the scars, cuts and bruises. He turned around to reveal a similar pattern of injuries on his back.

Max gasped. Gazzy flinched, eyes wide. Angel returned and immediately dropped the makeshift ice packs and gasped.

Fang pulled down his shirt and put an arm around Angel, who was now sobbing.

"It's fine. I've been there for two years and I didn't exactly comply," he murmured softly.

Angel nodded, but tears were still streaming down her face.

"Look. It's really okay. It didn't even hurt that much. I have a strong pain threshold and I am now good at medicine so it's okay," he said again.

"Where'd you get the normal clothes? Ange and I were in lab coats and stuff when we got out," Gazzy inquired, changing the subject.

Fang smiled slightly before responding, "I went to a store and befriended the store clerk. I told her my situation and she smuggled me some clothes."

Fang was wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans.

Max shook her head at the fact that his savior was a girl. He flirted with her, told her that he couldn't afford any clothes and he had to go save his family or something like that. She fell for his Fang charm.

Fang raised an eyebrow at Max's reaction, but smiled slightly to himself.

"How are we affording this hotel?" he inquired.

Max pulled the credit card out of her pocket and tossed it to Fang.

He studied it and smiled.

"Dinner?" he suggested.

The entire flock nodded enthusiastically.

"Say hi to Sophie for me," Max commanded jealously.

Fang stopped at the doorway and winked at Max.

"Gazzy could you get those ice packs? I need to talk to Max," Angel requested.

Gazzy looked like he wanted to complain, but he decided against it and went to fetch the ice packs anyway.

Max frowned in anticipation. She was sure that this conversation was about Fang.

"He thinks it's cute that you're jealous. That's why he's not denying anything," Angel said.

"What?" Max inquired innocently.

Angel looked at her dubiously before responding, "He knows that you're jealous and he thinks it's cute. He was a little insecure about if you still loved him."

Max nodded, hiding her elation unsuccessfully.

"Thanks," she muttered.

Angel smiled softly and then left.

Max hadn't been able to pick up any of those things from his expression, but then again, he was the king of discretion.

A few minutes later Fang returned with an armload of food.

"No ice packs yet?" he inquired when he looked at her.

As if on cue, Gazzy entered holding two makeshift ice packs.

Fang placed down the food and grabbed the ice packs.

Out of the pile of food he pulled out duct tape.

Max raised an eyebrow.

He replied, "I figured we'd need it."

He taped the ice pack to her ankle.

Then, he lifted up her shirt enough to see her stomach. He began taping the second ice pack over her ribs.

Max felt slightly self-conscious at his closeness. She could feel his body warmth and worse off, she craved it.

He finished and lowered her shirt. He pulled back and said, "Better?"  
>Max looked at him. He was so close that Max thought they might kiss, but she was painfully aware of Gazzy's and Angel's presence.<p>

She nodded weakly and choked out, "Y-yes."

He smiled again and pulled away abruptly.

Max felt her heart beat faster and she willed it to slow down.

"Dinner," Fang said, motioning to the pile of food.

"How did you get out and find us, by the way?"

Fang stopped himself in the pursuit of food to consider his answer to Max's question.

"Well, I can turn invisible. When they came to get me for my daily testing, I turned invisible. The guard stupidly went in the cage to look for me, leaving the keys in the door. I locked him in and threatened to electrocute him for info on Iggy and Nudge," he explained.

Gazzy and Angel nodded knowingly, but Max inquired, "Electrocute him? And what did you find out?"

"My cage was built with some special technology that shocks whoever is inside. And they're in the Eastern Time zone," he replied as if an electrocution cage happened every day.

Max nodded numbly, scared about Nudge and Iggy's fate.

"You asked how I found you, well I overheard them talking about how Gazzy and Angel escaped and how you were heading for the Institute in Dublin. I got directions and headed there right away. I saw Gazzy and Angel crouched in the field, so I flew down. They told me that you were still in there and I went in too. You already had three down and you were on your knees, so I decided to intervene," Fang explained simply.

Max nodded and smiled at him gratefully.

"So, we're headed back to America in the morning. Eat and get some sleep. Fang you'll need to do something for me," Max commanded.

She explained her booby traps to fang who executed them to perfection. The four ate their meal and Fang volunteered to have first watch.

Max was too tired to put up a fight, so she submitted and fell asleep.

For once in two years though, she didn't have a single nightmare.

Max smiled at this uneasy peace.

**A/N: This one is longer than the other chapter. I wanted to add a little romance between Max and Fang. I also wanted to make Fang his silent, mysterious and flirty self. I hope I did it well. If I didn't, TELL ME! I won't be able to fix him if I don't know that there's a problem.**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who reviewed my last chapter! I also got a lot of positive feedback about how I made Fang. I'd like to thank those people too. I'll try to keep him Fang-like. I'll also try to keep my characters in character. Tell me if they're O.O.C. I want to make this story perfect and I can't without feedback. So anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. I only like to botch it up on occasion.**

**Chapter 10**

Max dreamt of finding Iggy and Nudge to such an extent that when Fang woke her up, she was almost disappointed.

"Max!" Fang yelled with a big shake of Max.

Max forced open her eyes and muttered, "Hmm… Nudge? Iggy?"

Fang looked at her sadly before saying, "Wake up, sleeping beauty. Geez… when did you become such a pansy?"

Max could tell that he was teasing, but it woke her up. Max often found that bloodlust in the morning was annoying, but Fang had a way of pissing her off to astronomical proportions.

Max quickly stood and balled her fists. Fang instinctively stepped back and raised his arms in defense.

She grit her teeth and raised her fist.

She was about to swing at him, but he quickly yelled, "Not the face! Anything but the face!"

Max froze for a minute. Fang peeked out from his arms tentatively, like a child.

Max start cracking up. She bent over laughing and fell to her knees.

Soon, Fang joined in. By the end of their hysterics, they were rolling on the floor.

Max stood, clutching her sides.

"Geez… my sides hurt, you dweeb!" Max exclaimed.

Fang stood too, his entire face smiling.

Max playfully tried to punch his arm, but he caught, still smiling.

For a minute they just stood there, Fang clutching her arm, them both smiling and looking at each other.

Fang hesitantly pulled her closer, and Max didn't put up any resistance.

They were so close that their stomachs were touching.

Silently Fang whispered, "I lo-"

"Get a room. Oh, wait," Gazzy giggled, interrupting them. Max and Fang flew apart instantaneously.

"Shhh…" Angel whispered.

"Where were you guys?" Max inquired her cheeks crimson.

"We were buying a new map. We marked off the lab locations on the map. There are a lot," Angel replied, pulling the map out to prove her point.

The map was littered with little X's.

Max groaned.

"We can't afford to go inside each. It's too dangerous. We need to eliminate some options, somehow," Fang said.

"Angel, can't you scan for Nudge and Iggy's location before we go in?" Max suggested.

Angel thought briefly and nodded.

Max smiled and said, "That'll work. And if we do detect them, we send in Fang to check on them. You can't turn other people invisible, can you?"

"I don't know. I've never tried," Fang replied.

"Try," Max commanded.

Angel nodded and turned invisible. Max felt his hand on her arm.

She didn't feel any different.

"Am I invisible?" Max inquired doubtfully.

Angel shook her head sadly and Gazzy replied, "If by invisible, you mean totally visible then yes, you're invisible."

Max rolled her eyes and Angel smacked him on the arm. Max heard Fang chuckling and she saw him become visible next to her.

She glanced at him and he removed his hand.

"Don't encourage him," Max scolded.

Fang rolled his eyes and half smiled at her.

Max ignored the heavy thumping of her heart to glare at him.

He put up his hands in sign of defeat.

Max allowed a small smile.

"Well, anyway, you can go in and check on them. Then we can formulate a plan," Max concluded.

The group nodded.

"Good, let's get going. Fang you can check out with Sophie, since you're so fond of her," Max spat out.

Fang raised an eyebrow at her, but as usual his dark eyes revealed nothing.

He left the room, leaving Max, Angel and Gazzy to pack up.

Angel and Gazzy continued to cram food into their packs.

Max looked around the room and sighed at all that she had accomplished.

After two years without any idea where her flock was, now she had three of them and she was looking for the last two.

Max smiled and silently thanked her voice.

She didn't expect a response, but almost instantaneously her voice replied,_ It's not that easy Max. I predict at the end of it all, only 5 of your flock will prevail._

**A/N: Well, did anybody expect that? I didn't. I made it up just now. Who is the voice talking about? What exactly does it mean? Well, I don't know yet. I sorta know, but not really. Anyway, review or I won't update. I didn't get any reviews on my last chapter, so now you get an ultimatum. REVIEW!**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'd love to thank my amazing reviewers and I'd love to thank lelogan who added me to his/her's favorite authors list. I'm so touched that you think I'm a good author. Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive to my writing! I'm touched. You guys are the reason I'm writing. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Chapter 11**

Max froze instinctively. The voice's words echoed in her head.

"Max?" Gazzy inquired worriedly.

Max ignored him and thought to the voice, _You mean one of my flock is going to die?_

Naturally the voice didn't respond. So Max thought louder, _ANSWER ME!_

Angel looked at Max quizzically and inquired mentally, _What's happening? What did your voice say?_

Max froze again. She realized that she couldn't tell anyone what her voice said, she couldn't scare them.

So she replied mentally, _Angel, stay out of my head! Please!_

Angel frowned, but she nodded briskly.

Max began to pace before she even knew it.

Gazzy looked at Max with a concerned look on his face. She immediately stopped pacing and shot him a reassuring look.

"Are we packed?" Max inquired all too cheerfully.

Angel hesitated before answering, "Umm… yes."

Max forced a smile and nodded.

"Let's go meet Fang then," she said, cheerful still.

They left the room and made their way to the pub under the hotel.

Max scanned the area for Fang, and panicked when she didn't immediately see him.

She opened her mouth to yell out his name when a voice behind her whispered, "Boo!"

Max jumped about twenty feet and turned, already in fight mode.

She found herself looking at a smiling Fang.

She immediately lowered her arms and stopped herself from shaking.

Fang's smile faded as he studied her.

"What's wrong?" he inquired quizzically.

Max muttered, "Nothing," and began searching for an exit.

"Let's go," she said happily.

Fang frowned, but let it go, for the moment.

"Nick! You leavin' without givin' me a lil hug?" an Irish accent boomed out.

Max turned to face a pretty little redhead.

She was shorter than Max, but she was probably average height.

She looked to be about 16 years old.

She was the type of girl, whose hair was always perfect, whose lips were always red and whose skin was always porcelain. Compared to Max, who rarely bathed, let alone did her make-up and brushed her hair.

Max recognized her as the barmaid who Fang called Sophie.

"Oh, sorry. Bye Soph," he replied half-heartedly. He was still focused on Max's earlier behavior.

He gave her a quick hug and pulled away.

Sophie whispered something in his ear and slipped a piece of paper in his pocket. He chuckled and nodded before rejoining the rest of the flock.

He directed them to the exit.

Once outside, Max dug in his pocket and pulled out the slip of paper. It showed a series of 7 numbers, along wither name and a kiss mark.

Max rolled her eyes and tossed it behind her.

"Oh, Nick, I love you so much! I'm so pretty you should just love me!" Max imitated in an awful girly voice.

Fang chuckled and rolled his eyes in response.

Max said, "Someone should focus less on girls and more on the mission."

Fang smiled at her. He grabbed her wrist and pulled her off to the side.

Behind her, Max heard Gazzy coo, "Ooooh! Max and Fang are gonna make kissy face!"

Max felt herself worry that they actually were.

"Fang," she objected weakly.

"Shhh… quiet for a minute," he whispered.

Max gulped apprehensively.

He had pulled her out of earshot of Gazzy and Angel, but he could still see them.

"Max, what's wrong?" he whispered.

"Nothing," Max lied, assuming that they were talking about the Sophie thing.

"You jumped about twenty feet in there. Don't tell me that nothing is wrong," he persisted.

Max realized that they were talking about what her voice had said.

She thought loudly, _Get out of my head Angel._

She waited a moment and considered telling Fang about the voice's evil prediction.

She looked at Fang, whose eyes were full of concern and worry.

Max made the executive decision to tell him.

He certainly wouldn't reveal anything and Max doubted that he would worry, at least outwardly.

Max told Fang everything about her voice's prediction.

Fang sat there silently throughout the entire story, and when she was finished his expression didn't change.

"React!" she snapped.

Fang flinched and she automatically felt bad for yelling at him.

"Sorry, it takes me a minute to process things entirely," Fang muttered.

Max could tell that he was irritated at her behavior toward his, but he didn't say anything.

"Max," he said finally, "I wouldn't worry about this if I were you."

Max stared at him to see if he was joking, but his face was grave and severe.

"How can I not worry?" she exclaimed.

"Don't think about it. Your voice wasn't very specific. It said 'prevail' not 'survive'. It could mean anything," he explained, still the epitome of calm.

"I don't care. No scenarios could be good," Max yelled.

Fang flinched again, almost inaudibly. Max felt bad again, but she was too worried to care.

"I know, but if you freak out, you won't be at your best. And we need you at your best if we're gonna keep that prediction from coming true."

Max immediately calmed at his logic. She nodded.

Fang smiled slightly and got up.

Max yelled out, "I'm sorry by the way. I know you prefer to keep your emotions inside, but I…" she trailed off.

"Don't worry about it," Fang said briskly.

They stood there, staring at each other for what felt like forever.

Fang stepped forward and pecked Max briefly on the lips. Before Max even knew what was happening, he pulled away.

Max stared at him confused.

"That's what they think we're doing here. Don't want to disappoint," he explained, smiling sadly.

He started to walk away, leaving Max dazed.

He stopped abruptly and turned around to say, "I can't stop thinking of girls by the way."

Max looked at him and inquired, "Huh?"

"I can't stop thinking of girls. I'm always with the one I love," he replied before turning around and heading back to Gazzy and Angel.

Max stood there even more dazed.

She smiled broadly before running to rejoin them.

**A/N: Well? What did you think? Are you worried about the voice's prediction? Are you relieved that he finally said I love you? Are you angry at Max for being mean to him? Are you all of the above? Well leave a review and tell me. Also, tell me what you want me to do next. I've already figured out who the voice's prediction is about. Tell your fathers happy father's day by the way! Just do it. It is father's day.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I'd like to thank macy101catlover and dancerxforlifex3! They were my only two reviewers for my last chapter. I'm gonna try not to be bitter about that. Anyway, (*tear*), enjoy my very few readers. **

**Disclaimer: I am really James Patterson in disguise! Just kidding. I wish…**

**Chapter 12**

It took the flock three days to fly back to the United States.

They flew with almost no breaks, because most of the time they were over land. When they were finally over land, they set right off to find Nudge and Iggy.

Max tried to convince them to rest, but they knew what Iggy and Nudge were going through so they didn't want to hesitate.

They set off in Maryland and they used the plan they had thought up.

That quickly eliminated Maryland and its border states.

Max was relatively relieved because she thought that Maryland smelled deeply of fish. (**A/N: No offense. I'm not really sure if it does, I need something to describe Maryland though! Sorry to Marylanders!)**

This process went on for weeks.

Angel would scan the area for Iggy and Nudge. They would no one with any idea who Nudge or Iggy were and stay the night. By the time they Delaware, Max became frustrated.

"I'm so glad you know what area they're in, Fang because this is totally working quickly," Max said sarcastically after their 20th failure.

Fang had obviously been frustrated too because he retorted, "Yeah, sorry that I saved myself, you and managed to limit out three-fourths of the country, Max. I'll try harder next time."

Max frowned. It was her job to be crazy and frantic. If Fang was frustrated, then the flock had problems.

Max took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I'm sorry. I just need my family back," she said softly.

Angel and Gazzy nodded in unison. That freaked Max out a bit. It made her think that maybe Angel was mind-controlling Gazzy or something.

Angel rolled her eyes and said, "I am not mind-controlling him, Max. We simply have a deeper understanding of each other."

Gazzy looked at her confused as to what was going on and Angel waved a hand dismissively at him.

He looked like he wanted to pursue it, but he shrugged and let it go.

"I thought I told you to stay out of my head," Max said defensively

Angel nodded shamefully, but Max knew that she was faking and would do it again in a second, if she wasn't doing it then.

Max turned to Fang, whose dark eyes were cloudy and expressive. This worried Max deeply. Fang was never expressive. He said what he needed to and kept the rest to himself.

Max frowned.

"They're gonna be fine when we find them. They're tough, maybe tougher than you," Max teased.

Fang's expression didn't change, but Max saw the corner of his lips twitch.

This gave Max a renewed confidence.

"I mean, they've probably been out for years. I mean it took you two years to get out. It probably only took them a few days. They are smarter, stronger and braver than you," Max teased again.

Fang shot her a half smile and replied, "Screw you. My escape was kick ass. I managed to trap the guard and the sentry in my cell before they even knew what was happening."

Max smiled for the first time in weeks.

"I'm sure it was. Whatever you say," Max said nonchalantly.

Fang looked at her and raised an eyebrow. He was challenging her.

Max never turned down a challenge.

"I recall saving your ass from my fate," Fang retorted.

Max rolled her eyes.

"Yeah that would make Fang: 1, Max: 1000," she replied.

Fang gave her his half smile again and Max's heartbeat sped up.

Max controlled her breathing. She wouldn't let him know his effect on her.

"Remember when I got nearly killed on the beach by Ari, saving you?" he inquired.

"Fine, Fang: 2," Max admitted.

"How about when I died to save you guys from Dr. Hans?"

"Fang we can go through the list all day, but we're forgetting the point," Max said with a sense of finality.

Fang raised an eyebrow and said, "What's that?"

"For once I'm not the one freaking out, I'm the relaxed one."

Gazzy let out a snort and Angel chuckled lightly.

Fang rolled his eyes.

Max smiled brilliantly.

"Fine, you're taking watch tonight. I'm tired," Fang commanded angrily.

"Sure," Max conceded.

Angel and Gazzy sauntered over to the bed that they shared and Max instantly heard their soft snoring.

Max stood to set up the booby-traps.

"Night, Max," Fang muttered.

Max glanced at his hunched form in the darkness. He was sleeping in a chair. He refused to take a bed.

She smiled slightly. He had hardened slightly in his stay at the Weapon's Institute. He was less trusting and he refused to take any crap, even from her. She enjoyed seeing him vulnerable.

"Good night Fang," she whispered.

She set up her booby-traps and turned off the lights.

She smiled slightly at the little family she had.

The smile faded as she realized that her family was incomplete and in danger.

Her smile returned when she pictured exactly what she would do to the creeps who took her flock.

Max heard a crash in the living room, where her first booby-trap was.

The entire flock jolted awake.

Fang put a finger up for them to wait. He turned invisible and Max guessed that he left the room.

Max heard another crash and she saw a very visible Fang fly across the room and not in a good way or on purpose.

Max stood and prepared herself to fight.

One of the cyborgs appeared in the doorway.

_Game on, _she thought to herself.

**A/N: I realized that there hasn't been a lot of action so far. I added some. I really want anyone that is reading this to review because for my last chapter I only got two reviews. Please! I'm seriously thinking that it sucks here. I won't update if I think it sucks. I'll actually take it off. Please tell me if it doesn't suck.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: I'd like to as always thank my reviewers! I got a lot of nice reviews! I'm sorry about being so insecure! I will power through this story for you guys! So here is my chapter 13! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If you think that I'm James Patterson, I have two things to say. Thank you and please reread the Maximum Ride books, because James Patterson is much better than me.**

**Chapter 13**

Max propelled herself forward and knocked the cyborg of its feet.

They cautiously exited the room and found Fang scrambling to get up from a broken piece of furniture that used to be the couch.

Max looked to the door and found 5 other cyborg things entering the room. The one Max had knocked down was already back up.

Max stared at them realizing that they'd never be able to take them all out without knowing their vulnerable spot.

_Aim for the back of their necks Max. They're weak there._

Max actually looked around room looking for the source to that voice, but she quickly realized that it was her voice.

Max nodded and yelled out, "Don't ask me how I know. Aim for the back of their necks!"

Fang smiled widely and turned invisible again.

Max approached the cyborg she had knocked down and flew up into the air and came down again, her foot landing on its neck. Immediately it crimpled to the ground.

Max turned to find that Fang had taken down two and Angel and Gazzy had taken down one a piece.

Max smiled and propelled herself to the last cyborg she brought herself above it and prepared to bring herself down. Suddenly, the robot reached up and grabbed her ankle.

It yanked her down and slammed her to the floor. This was getting a little too close to her nightmares for comfort.

Fang, now visible, flew by and used his foot to knock the cyborg's arm clean off.

Max launched herself up and slammed her foot down on its neck, causing it to collapse like the others.

Max turned to look at Fang. They came to decision to leave before more came.

She sent Angel a mental command and went to fix her booby-traps.

Gazzy and Angel went to pack up and Fang rummaged for supplies they could steal.

Five minutes later, they set off to their next location, Pennsylvania. **(A/N: Sorry if it's not really close to Maryland. Angel did eliminate a few border states. Bear with me, please!)**

(In Pennsylvania)

Max immediately liked Pennsylvania.

An hour or so later they landed in Philadelphia. It smelled like meat and cheese. In a good way though.

They stopped off for a 'Famous Philly Cheesesteak' before heading to the Weapons Institute.

She had like several states that she had never really been to. She had liked Massachusetts, New York (She'd already been there though), Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

They found the Institute within minutes of Philadelphia.

Angel scanned the area for Nudge and Iggy.

She shut her eyes in concentration.

A minute or so later she opened them and said, "Nope. They're not- whoa wait a second."

She shut her eyes again and smiled widely.

"They're in there," she said quickly as if she feared that they'd disappear.

"Where?" Max inquired, not daring to let herself hope even for a second.

"Bottom floor. There's an elevator that takes you there. Go through the third floor window, closest to us. It's empty now, but there's a sentry by their cells. I'm gonna try to communicate with them and tell them that you're coming, Fang," Angel replied.

Fang nodded, with a look of deep concentration on his face. He turned invisible.

Max watched the third floor window intently until she saw it open.

"Angel I want you to communicate with Fang the entire way. If he's in trouble, I wanna know," Max commanded.

Angel nodded and replied, "I told them that Fang was coming. They're so happy."

Max fought back a smile. She wouldn't smile until they were safe.

**Nudge's P.O.V.**

Nudge sat in her cell straining to listen for any sounds that might be Fang.

Apparently he could turn invisible. Nudge almost screamed in anticipation, but that would give Fang away. Max was a ball of nerves.

She glanced at Iggy who was straining to hear Fang also. He was sitting with his fists clenched and he was grinding his teeth.

Nudge smiled slightly at the only friend she's had for about two years.

They had really bonded over this and Nudge considered them closer than before.

She pictured Max, Angel and Gazzy to prepare herself so that she wasn't a big crybaby when they came to save her.

She also tried to picture Fang. She had always considered Fang and her close.

He was truly like a big brother. She considered Iggy and Gazzy her friends. Angel was her baby sister and Max was sort of like her mom.

But Fang was her big brother.

Max heard the elevator door open and she smiled despite her resolution to show no emotion.

She glanced over at Iggy and smiled, he smiled too.

Suddenly, the guard flew across the room.

Nudge and Iggy leapt to their feet and went to their bars to see where the sentry had landed.

He was on the ground and trying to regain his composure.

His head jerked to the left, like he'd been punched. His stomach went in slightly and he bent over coughing. His head jerked to the right and he was out cold.

Fang suddenly appeared before their cell and Nudge assumed that he'd just become visible.

"Fang!" Nudge yelped.

He smiled slightly and inquired, "Keys?"

"In the sentry's left breast pocket," Iggy replied.

Fang darted over and yanked out the keys.

He hurried back over and unlocked the door.

They hurried out and Nudge gave Fang a big bear hug.

"Okay, Nudge. I'm really glad to see you too but now is not the time," he said.

Nudge pulled away and said, "You're right. Of course, you're right."

Iggy and Fang ran over and grabbed the guard. They dragged him over and put him in the cage.

Fang locked it and smiled at them again.

"Let's get you guys out of here," he said cheerfully.

**A/N: I know that not a lot really happened in this chapter, but I hope it's good nonetheless. Please review! If you do, give yourself a mental hug from me! Now who wouldn't want a nice big hug from me? Don't answer that.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Hey guys! I wanted to thank my reviewers! I also wanted to warn you that I'm going on vacation soon so I won't be updating anytime soon. Sorry about that. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own maximum Ride!**

**Chapter 14**

Max waited anxiously for Fang to return with Nudge and Iggy.

She tapped her fingers on the ground and sat in a relaxed position, but she was tense and wound up.

Angel was sitting in a position of meditation with her eyes shut. She was the epitome of concentration.

"What's happening now?" Gazzy inquired nervously.

Max flinched at the first sound they'd heard in over half an hour, but Angel didn't acknowledge him.

When it was clear he wasn't getting an answer, Gazzy groaned and started pacing back and forth.

Max knew he was worried about his best friend, and of course Nudge.

He had hidden it considerably well, but Max could tell that he was on the brink of a breakdown.

"Angel, what's happening in there? It's been forever," Max inquired to ease their worry.

Angel opened her eyes and replied serenely, "They're waiting for the coast to clear. They're in the elevator, but they can't leave until the hallway clears."

Max nodded, slightly calmer, but her family was in there without her and she was scared. However, she wouldn't let it impede her judgment.

"Angel, can you sense another clear floor that they can escape from?" Max questioned.

Angel shut her eyes again and nodded without saying anything. Max guessed that she was telling Fang this information.

Max smiled with satisfaction.

She glanced at the other windows and waited to see Fang or, if he was invisible, Nudge or Iggy.

Max noticed one of the windows on the fifth floor open and she saw Fang nervously try to climb out.

All was going according to plan.

That is, until the alarms went off. And the cyborgs flew out of the fourth floor window. With laser like things.

Max was already in the air by the time they started firing. Angel and Gazzy joined her and Angel screeched, "Max, wait! They might outrun the cyborgs. Wait for them to need us."

Every muscle in Max's body was screaming at her to fly to Fang, Iggy and Nudge, but she knew that Angel was right. So Max restrained herself. She watched her flock get shot at and she felt her body fight with itself.

Fang narrowly avoided a shot, but Nudge wasn't so lucky. She got shot square in the arm.

Max propelled herself forward before Angel could even react.

She didn't turn around to check on them, she focused mainly on Nudge.

She got there as Fang gathered Nudge in his arms.

Max screeched, "Aim for the back of their necks!"

Her flock complied and immediately cyborgs fell from the air.

_When did they learn to fly? _Max thought to herself in a panic.

The flock was doing well, despite that Nudge was injured and Fang was left to care for her, but they weren't doing well enough.

More and more cyborgs came as others fell.

Max finally commanded, "Leave now! Escape if you can! Don't wait!"

Gazzy and Iggy immediately began to leave. Gazzy saw Angel hesitate, so he grabbed her arm and told Iggy to do the same. Together they flew away with Angel screaming the whole way.

Fang looked at Max sadly and froze.

Max turned to fly away, but felt one cyborg grab her arm and yank her back.

They all began to surround her, noticing her weakness.

"Please leave Fang You need to lead them!" Max yelled.

Fang nodded weakly and turned around, still holding Nudge.

Max watched him fly away.

She felt a sharp pain in her wing and knew she'd been shot.

She flailed out with her arms and legs, but barely made a dent.

She was surrounded by at least 5 robots, the others had either fallen or fled, and she didn't like her odds.

She swung her working wing so that it hit all of the cyborgs and they flew back for a moment.

A moment was all that she needed.

She swung out her foot and roundhouse kicked the one closest to her right in the neck.

It crumpled Max flew away from the arms trying to grab her and grabbed it.

She grabbed the weapon out of its hands and started shooting the robots.

Her aim didn't concern her.

After what felt like hours, she opened her eyes and stopped firing.

The wall behind her had large gaping holes in it and the cyborgs no longer surrounding her. They were in heaps on the ground.

She tried to fly on her injured wing and found it painful, but not unbearable.

She used her ability to fly quickly to the town.

_Max! Where are you? _Angel thought frantically.

Max glanced at her surroundings and noticed a diner of some kind and train station.

She lowered herself to the ground and relayed her surroundings to Angel.

Her vision blurred and she felt lightheaded.

She fell to her knees in exhaustion.

Fang landed in front of her and she noticed the other flock members land behind him.

He knelt down and whispered soothingly, "Are you okay? How'd you get out?"

Max looked at him and smiled.

She replied, "I am Maximum Ride. It takes a little more than a few robots to keep me down. I'm just that amazing.

The last thing Max saw before she passed out was Fang rolling his eyes and give her that half smile of his.


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: I didn't get any reviews for my last chapter, and that makes me think that it sucks. I'll try better this time. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 15**

Max shot up and looked around at her surroundings.

She was in a hotel of sorts and she was spread out on a bed.

She noticed that Nudge was on a bed also and she was passed out.

Max took a good look at her. She was bruised and dirty. Her hair had grown to her waist and it was a curly, frizzy mess.

"Hey Max," she heard a voice whisper to her side.

She jerked her head to see the source of the voice and saw Fang staring at her.

"Fang, how long have I been out? And why is Nudge unconscious?" she inquired.

"We believe that the guns were meant to stun us. You and Nudge were the only ones hit, so you guys were knocked out. And don't get all dramatic, you were asleep for like an hour," he replied jokingly.

Max rolled her eyes at him.

Nudge shot up and looked around wildly. She noticed Max and Fang and immediately calmed.

"I'm free," she whispered as if to herself.

Fang stood and walked over to her. He pulled her in for a hug and she began to sob uncontrollably.

Max struggled to stand and walked over to them. She placed a reassuring hand on Nudge's back and whispered soothingly, "I know. It'll be okay. No one will get you ever again."

Nudge nodded and pulled away from Fang.

Fang stood and opened the door. Instantly, the rest of the flock filed in.

Max took inventory of her flock.

Gazzy's and Iggy's head was shaved, but Fang's hair was only slightly shorter than when she last saw him. It was spiked at the ends. Angel's hair had been cut by Max and it was curling like it had before she had been taken. They were all wearing regular clothes. Nudge wasn't, but there were clothes lying on the table next to her.

"Did you want me to cut your hair?" Max asked Nudge.

Nudge nodded enthusiastically.

"After a bath. Iggy, have you bathed?"

Iggy nodded.

"How are you, Iggy?" Max questioned.

Iggy shrugged and replied, "Fine. Better than I was before. I'm happy, but I'm a little anxious about how we're gonna take these guys down."

Max smiled. She had a plan ready.

"That's a good idea Max," Angel said.

"I told you to stay out of my head without my permission!" Max snapped.

Angel nodded sadly, upset at her outburst.

"Sorry, but I want to be safe in my head. Do you understand?" Max inquired softer this time.

Angel nodded in assent.

"Alright. I have a plan. We've gotta find the main lab."

Fang inquired, "How are we gonna find that?"

"The first one made should be the head one right? All we have to do is look that up," Max replied.

Fang raised an eyebrow and, as usual, said nothing. The rest of the flock nodded like it made sense.

"There's no computer in this room, so that means we're gonna have to visit our old friend, the library."

Fang nodded.

"But we've gotta clean Nudge up, first," Max said.

Angel volunteered, "I'll draw her a bath."

Max shot Angel an appreciative look before she left.

"Alright, so who wants to take out some psycho scientists?" Max inquired.

The entire flock's hands shot up instantly.

"Good, because you don't really have a choice. This is a dictatorship, not a democracy," Max joked.

Iggy broke out laughing and was followed by Gazzy.

Nudge collapsed laughing and even Fang let out a light chuckle.

"I don't know why you are laughing, I'm being serious," Max said, barely holding back her laughter as is.

"Mutiny!" Gazzy yelled. And he pounced on her holding her to the bed. The others soon followed and dog piled on top of her.

Angel walked back out and said, "I'm finished with your- wow. I'm gone for five minutes and everyone goes crazy."

They all started laughing at that.

**A/N: Sorry this is short. But I didn't get any reviews so… Just kidding. I am sorry that it's short! Please review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I'm back and better than ever. I'm gonna take longer to update my stories because I want to make them better. Anyway, enjoy! Please!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride. It belongs to the brilliant James Patterson. For now. :)**

**Chapter 16**

After she was cleaned up, Nudge spent hours on Google and Wikipedia (**Don't own them either!) **to no avail.

Finally she screeched, "Aaaah! I can't do this! It's impossible!"

Fang jolted up at her scream, but it was Max who said, "Whoa, calm down. Relax. You'll find it."

Nudge gave Max a look that could only be described as 'pure crazy'.

Her eyes were as wide saucers and her head was cocked to the side with her mouth slightly ajar.

She then said in her craziest voice, "You try then," before getting up and plopping down on the bed next to Fang.

Fang struggled to hide a smile at Max's predicament. She preferred to destroy technology, rather than work with them. She took the movie _Terminator _**(Nope. Don't own that either. But wasn't Reese hot?)** to heart.

Max took a deep breath to steady herself and sat down in front of the computer.

She stared at the screen for what felt like forever before a voice whispered behind her, "You Know you have to touch the computer, right?"

Max jumped and turned around to see a smirking Fang leaned over so that his face was by her ear.

"Yes!" she yelled halfheartedly.

He looked at her expectantly and made a gesture of defeat.

Max turned to the computer and placed her hand over the keys.

She was painfully aware of Fang's hot breath on the back of her neck.

"Max," he said softly.

"What?" Max snapped.

"Did you need help?" he chuckled.

"No!" Max screeched.

She was scared that she was hyperventilating and not because of the computer.

He reached his hands around her and Max thought he was going to embrace her, but he reached for the keyboard and mouse and started to type things in.

Max tried to control her breathing and she focused on the screen.

Fang had put her on the homepage for Conrad Institute of Weapon Development. (**Don't know if this is real, but I don't own it. If it's not, I totally do.) **

Max cocked her slightly to the side.

"How did you know that was what it was called?" she inquired.

He chuckled and replied, "Some of us have to be observant Max. Not all of us can faint on the job."

Max bit back both a smile and a sarcastic response.

Max watched him search the website and finally he concluded, "The first Institute created is in Atlanta, Georgia and it was built in 1975."

Fang pulled away from Max and they both turned to face Nudge.

Nudge was glaring at them both with contempt. She said, "Beginner's luck."

Max shrugged and quickly maintained a safe distance from the computer.

"Let's tell the rest of the flock," Fang suggested.

Max and Nudge nodded and they made their way into the living room where they found Gazzy, Angel and Iggy spread out on the sofas watching TV. Well, at least Angel and Gazzy were watching TV. Iggy was mostly just listening.

"We have our next destination, you guys. Who's ready to go to Georgia?" Max inquired.

Gazzy nodded absentmindedly and Iggy shrugged. Angel nodded enthusiastically.

Max frowned and walked in front of the TV. She turned it off and boomed, "I said, who's ready to go to Georgia?"

Iggy and Gazzy yelled simultaneously, "I am."

Max smiled and said, "Good. I would hate to have to get loud."

She could practically hear Fang rolling his eyes.

"It's like midnight, Max. We've totally woken up the entire hotel," Nudge argued, obviously over the disappointment of her prior computer failure.

"Good. I love to make an exit. When we get to Georgia, I'll get to make an entrance too," Max replied mischievously.

**A/N: So? What did you think? Review or die! Jk. I won't kill you. Yet .**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers! Thank you guys for being awesome. Mental hugs for all! Anyway, I've never been to Georgia, so please forgive me if I portray it badly. Anyway, enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: See last chapter.**

**Chapter 17**

The flock immediately made their way Georgia. The trip took 3 days and they rarely rested, so when they got there the first things they wanted to do was eat and sleep.

"Let's eat there, Max!" Gazzy whined, pointing at a McDonald's (Don't own that either!) enthusiastically.

"No, we have to eat there!" Nudge protested, while pointing at a more upscale and expensive restaurant.

"That one looks good," Iggy joked, pointing in a random direction.

Max rolled her eyes and could practically hear Fang suppressing a laugh.

Angel giggled and said, "Don't be silly."

"Let's go somewhere cheap. We've spent a ton of money on hotels and food and clothes and my mom is not gonna be happy when she gets the credit card bill," Max explained sternly.

"MickeyD's is cheap. They have a dollar menu," Gazzy argued, and Max found it difficult to argue with his logic.

As if reading her mind, Fang replied, "He has a point, Nudge."

Nudge immediately began pouting, but that went away when they entered the McDonalds and she caught a whiff of food.

Within minutes the entire flock was salivating.

Max commandeered a booth while Fang and Iggy went to go order.

They came back with what some people would call enough food to feed the entirety of Africa, but Max would call it enough food to last a few minutes.

"The lady must have thought we were feeding all of the homeless in Georgia," Fang commented when he got back.

"I don't know. All I was getting from her was 'look how cute he is'," Iggy teased.

Fang shrugged, but Nudge asked, "How could you tell?"

Iggy rolled his eyes as if she should've known and replied, "I can still hear and smell. Her voice was very flirty; I could hear her moving forward and all I could smell was burgers and her desperation."

Gazzy snickered and looked at Max sympathetically.

"It must have been aimed at you, man," Fang replied nonchalantly, shooting a look at Max, who must've looked pained from restraining herself from speaking.

"Really, dude?" Iggy inquired purely.

Fang was restraining himself from laughing and replied, "Totally. She was all over you."

Iggy nodded enthusiastically and grabbed a burger gaily. The rest of the flock followed suit and within minutes they were left with wrappers and nothing else.

Max was acutely aware that everyone was staring at them.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom real quick. Wait outside," Max said.

Fang nodded and ushered the flock to the door. He glanced at Max before leaving and flashed a smile and winked. Max felt shivers go up her spine.

She made her way to the girl's room and immediately knew that she wasn't alone.

As if to confirm her suspicions, she felt something metal and cold against her back. She looked to the mirrors and saw a man with a gun pressed to her back. She began calculating how she could knock it out of his hand.

The man could tell what she was thinking and said, "I wouldn't try it. We have several armed men outside who wouldn't hesitate to harm your unsuspecting flock, or the unarmed civilians, or even you."

Max replied, "Are they all dressed like you, because if they are then my flock isn't unsuspecting."

The man was dressed in black from head-to-toe.

"I don't know. Did they suspect the women who served your food?" he teased.

Max clenched her jaw and decided to retort, "So, Sherlock, how do you intend on sneaking me out of here?"

"You may never know," he replied.

Max raised her eyebrows in confusion and she opened her mouth to ask him what he meant when she felt a sharp pain in the back of her skull.

She immediately felt lightheaded and the room tilted slightly. She brought a hand to the back of her head and felt wetness.

She fell to her knees and felt a strong pair of hands pick her up and carry her bridal style.

Her vision was beginning to blacken and she heard him whisper, "Sweet dreams."

It was the last thing she heard before she blacked out.

**Fang's P.O.V**

"She's not in there, but I found a little blood on the floor," Nudge said urgently, emerging from the restaurant.

Fang groaned inwardly.

"What do we do?" Gazzy asked, looking up at Fang with wide eyes.

Fang had no idea and he suddenly felt very panicked. If anything happened to Max, he'd be leader. He didn't know if he could lead them with the heartbreak of losing her.

Fang faked confidence that he knew he didn't possess. He tried to sound calm and nonchalant when he said, "We know where she is. We've just got to go and get her."

The group looked mildly reassured and Fang thanked God for the millionth time that he was blessed with the gift to hide his emotions.

"Let's get going. Once again, we've got to save Max's butt," he joked half-heartedly.

Gazzy and Nudge smiled at his attempt at humor in a bleak situation, but Angel and Iggy looked forlorn.

Fang nodded and commanded, "Up and away, I guess."

They made their way to the alley around back and took off with the hope that they wouldn't be too late.

**A/N: I took a little longer in writing this and I hope it pays off. Please review. **


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers and everyone who subscribed or favorited my story. You guys are awesome and I appreciate it so much. Thank you again. I want you all to know that this is one of my last chapters. I have this one and one after that and then I'm done. Thank you for reading this and being so supportive. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything mentioned in this fanfiction. The only thing I've ever written are these fanfictions. :/**

**Chapter 18**

Max opened her eyes wearily and blinked a few times to bring the world into focus.

She tentatively brought her hand to the back of her head and realized that while it was still wet it was no longer bleeding.

She felt sore and dirty. She tried to glance round at her surroundings and found herself in a white padded room that would be impossible to break out of, that is if she could even find the door.

She sighed and felt frustrated.

"I'm up!" she yelled at no one in particular, hoping that she was under surveillance.

"What do you want from me?" She yelled when there was no reply.

She slowly tried to stand, using the wall to support her.

She felt dizzy at first and needed to cling to the wall, but she soon found it easier to stand and she tried to walk slightly, even though the padded room wasn't helping her cause.

The room was entirely white except for a red spot on the floor from where Max had been lying and apparently bleeding.

Max began feeling the walls in search of the door. She had travelled the length of the room without finding anything twice before collapsing to the ground in frustration. It was difficult enough to move without being in a room that makes it feel like she was walking on a mattress, but her entire body was screaming at her to stop.

Her head was throbbing and her arms and legs were littered with scratches and bruises.

Needless to say, she wasn't in the best fighting condition. Or walking condition.

Max let out a calming breath. She needed a level head.

Worst case scenario, Fang and the flock come to save her.

Max froze and widened her eyes.

What if that was what her voice was talking about. Maybe this is where one of her flock members would die.

She couldn't let that happen.

The words, _It's not that easy Max. I predict at the end of it all, only 5 of your flock will prevail _echoed in her head.

_Well, not prevail could've meant 5 would win and one would lose. They all could live._ Max reasoned in her head, although it didn't ease her worries.

She started and pacing and she knew that if she didn't calm down immediately, she'd start hyperventilating or her muscles would give out and she needed to be at the top of her game.

She forced herself to sit down and crossed her legs Indian style.

The scientists would come for her eventually and Fang was more than capable of watching the flock and avoid capture. She could trust him.

Max closed her eyes and took deep calming breaths.

After what felt like hours Max heard the door open and she opened her eyes so that she knew where it was.

She watched the man approach her cautiously while the other held the door open and watched, obviously relieved that he wasn't the one who had to deal with Max's rage.

The man got closer and yelled, "Hey, you!"

Max turned her head towards him and gave him an intense stare.

The man grimaced and said, "H-hold your hands out!"

Max noticed the handcuffs in his hand, and she also noticed how badly his hands were shaking.

She wondered what his boss had told him about her. She also wondered how long he had been working here. He looked like a novice.

Max smiled at him maliciously and stood. She offered him her wrists and he barely managed to conceal his sigh of relief. He shakily put on the handcuffs and led her to the door.

Max stopped in her tracks and swung out her foot, which connected to his… area with a satisfying groan.

Max round house kicked the other guy in the face and he crumpled to the ground.

She smiled again and dug around in the other guy's pocket for the keys.

She noticed that the first guard was still conscious.

She whispered harshly, "Unlock these."

The man hesitated, but immediately worked on unlocking the cuffs.

"If I were you," Max said when he was done with the cuffs, standing up and rubbing her wrists, "I'd get a new job.

Max slipped out the door and locked the two in her old cell.

She smiled lightly, but it vanished when she realized that she had no idea where she was.

She cursed silently and walked down a random hallway, in the hope of finding stairs. She needed to find the roof and then she'd be home free.

However, she soon found herself in a maze of hallways with no windows or stairs in sight.

After about half an hour, Max began to feel suspicious.

They only sent in 2 unarmed guards, who were newbies. All they had were handcuffs.

They went to a lot of trouble to bring her here and they used very little effort to keep her.

And, all of the hallways were empty. There wasn't a single person in sight. It was a ghost town.

Max frowned and took in her surroundings. There wasn't much to take in though. Like every other hallway, it was white and sterile. And there were no windows. The only thing in the hallway was a series of doors.

Max stopped in her tracks and looked at the doors.

She felt like she was on a treadmill. It looked like she was going places, but she was stuck in the same place.

Max walked over to one door at random and tried to open it. It opened with little resistance and took a

She took a tentative step in. It was entirely empty.

Max began to wonder if she was even in the laboratory.

"What kind of games are you playing!" she shouted, now positive that not everything was not as they seemed in the world of wacky scientists.

Max frowned and waited, half expecting to hear a response.

When it became apparent that none was coming, she lashed out with her foot and struck a wall.

She immediately regretted it when pain shot through her leg.

She tried to put weight on it, but gave up when it proved too painful.

She glanced at the wall that she'd kicked and noticed a large hole in it.

She bent over and peeked through it and saw a room with computers and men.

She gasped and it all became clear to her.

The room and the people were mere formalities. Her real prison was the maze. They must have intended to wear her out or make her lose hope.

She swung her leg again, but this time strategically so as not to break her other leg.

To her delight, the hole became big enough to crawl through, but the people became aware of her presence. They stared at her frantically and she scurried through the hole as quickly as her leg would allow.

By the time she was through, she was surrounded by several armed men.

"Well, hello boys," she said while struggling to maintain balance on one leg.

**Fang's P.O.V**

Fang had managed to successfully break in the building without setting off any alarms or getting anyone shot.

In his mind, that was a major accomplishment.

Max had been gone for 4 hours now and they had no idea where she was.

Angel desperately trying to find Max, but was coming up with nothing.

"What if she's not here?" Nudge whispered.

Fang had thought about it himself, but something told him she was here and she was in trouble.

For one the hallways were empty. When they peered into the occasional lab, everything looked like it had been dropped at a moment's notice. Fang knew that only one person could disrupt so many people, so quickly.

Max.

"Then, we give up on looking and pretend that we never met her," he replied sarcastically, shooting a 'what do you think' look at Nudge.

"We're gonna keep looking, but she's here. I can tell," he replied seriously this time.

Nudge nodded and smiled lightly at the prospect of getting Max and putting an end to all of the madness.

They were systematically checking floors. The farther down they went, the more nervous Fang became.

He couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap, but there was no avoiding it.

Fang heard the sound of laughter and then the undeniable sound of Max's voice saying, "Laugh all you want, hell, laugh why you can, but give it enough time and you'll find it hard to smile. Or to move."

Fang couldn't help but smile at her tenacity.

He turned to the flock and whispered, "Here's the plan. You guys are gonna go in there and fly around to distract them. Do not get hit. If I say the word, I want you guys to get the hell out of there. I'll free Max. Right now, I want it to be every man for himself. If you see someone on the ground injured and you have the time to grab them, then yeah, you can help. Got it?"

They nodded solemnly.

He turned invisible and whispered, "Now."

They all took off and Fang found Max chained to a pillar, with all of the scientists standing around and writing down notes. There was one particular man standing apart from the crowd and speaking to her.

Fang assumed that he was the head scientist.

He headed toward Max and knocked out the two guards standing around Max.

"Key?" he whispered urgently to her.

Max looked in his direction and he immediately noticed how bad she looked.

She wasn't standing on one of her legs and Fang assumed she hurt it. Her face was slightly bruised and the back of her neck was covered in blood. Fang thought that meant that the back of her scalp was bleeding. Her arms and legs were littered with cuts and bruises. Her jacket was missing and she was just in a tank top and ripped jeans. Her hair was in a messy ponytail and she was sporting a split lip.

Was it wrong that he wanted to kiss her intensely?

He ignored it and listened for her answer.

"The guard you are standing over's right breast pocket," she replied hoarsely.

He dug through the pocket and sure enough, found the key.

He moved to the other end of the pillar and started to work on the lock.

"You shouldn't be here. This is what they wanted! You're playing right into their hands!" she whisper shouted.

Fang, who had managed to unlock her chain and was now unwrapping it from her, replied, "That's why we need you, leader. To make smart decisions like this. If you were here, the plan would've been better."

He could tell that she was suppressing a smile and finally freed her.

She leaned on him for support and confirmed his suspicions about her leg.

"Fang: 4 Max: 0," Fang muttered under his breath.

Max lightly, causing Fang to smile. He noticed that his flock was unharmed and he yelled, "Iggy! Come here!"

Iggy came over and helped him support Max.

"Flock! Out!" Fang screeched, watching to make sure that they were out before getting ready to leave himself.

He and Iggy outspread their wings, before they heard Max gasp and go rigid in Fang's arms.

She started to collapse and Fang caught her, slowly lowering her to the floor.

"Max!" he yelled. He looked at her and noticed a growing blood stain on her shirt.

He looked up at the main doctor and noticed him holding a gun.

"No! Max, wake up! Wake up!" he yelled again.

She was looking at him weakly with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes.

"Max, please. I need you," Fang whispered, still cradling her.

**Max's P.O.V**

Max wanted to tell Fang to get out of here, but she couldn't speak.

She was overjoyed in a melancholy kind of way. She was the one who didn't prevail, just as she'd hoped.

She'd never seen Fang so expressive in her life. He had tears streaking down his face and he was whispering things to her.

She didn't pay attention to what he was saying, but she saw Iggy trying to bring him to his feet.

"Love you," she managed to whisper.

"YOU LOSE MAXIMUM RIDE!" she heard the scientist yell before blacking out.

**A/N: So… I don't know what to say. I've been planning this for quite some time. Someone actually said it in a review and I got nervous that you guys had figured out the big dramatic almost ending. Now, what happens in the last chapter? Does she die and the last chapter is about them coping without her? Or does she recover? I'm gonna let you guys say which. In your review, leave me your vote and whichever one has more is the ending I will do. Make sure to review!**


	19. Chapter 19: The Final Freakin Chapter!

**A/N: I'd like to thank all of the reviews. I've noticed that a lot of people either wanted Fang to leave her there or they'd think she'd die. Umm… Great suggestions. I really wish I could use them. However, I really couldn't picture Fang leaving her there. I also didn't know how I'd make them not know she's alive if he brings her with him. I hope you guys like the ending anyway. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: For the last time, I don't own Maximum Ride. If I did there would be 6 books called Fang and he'd end up with a character much like myself.**

**Chapter 19**

**Max's P.O.V**

The first thing that registered in Max's mind was the shooting pain in her torso.

She hurt everywhere, but her torso was the more dominant pain.

She knew that she needed to open her eyes. She had no idea where she was, what had happened or even how she'd gotten there.

She hesitantly opened her eyes and noticed how blinding the lights were in the white room. She had to squint just to keep them open at all.

She blinked a few times and immediately assumed that she was dead.

_No, _she thought, _I wouldn't be in pain if I was dead._

So her next thought was that she was still in the lab.

Fang hadn't been able to free her and he had left, assuming that she was dead.

He would be heartbroken. She needed to let him know that she was well.

Max heard an unfamiliar voice whisper, "You might want to consider a life without her. At the moment, we are dubious that she'll ever wake up."

She then heard a voice that sounded painfully like Fang's whisper, "You have to do something. You said it wasn't too late. You said you could help her!"

Max noticed the strain in his voice and thought that she must be hallucinating.

Fang couldn't be here. Could he?

Max needed to attract their attention.

She tried to clear her throat or say something, but it came out as a whimper.

Max struggled to lift her head to look at them and to her delight, she saw Fang and a man in a doctor's uniform looking at her intently.

Fang looked terrible.

He was pale(r) and blotchy. His eyes were rimmed with red as if he'd been crying. He had bags under his bags. He also had a black eye and a split lip. Max wondered what had happened to him.

Suddenly, the events of the past few days came rushing at her.

The prediction, her flock, her imprisonment, the rescue and the bullet, fulfilling the prediction.

Her new awareness made her dizzy.

She knew that the doctor was speaking to her, but she couldn't hear him.

Her vision started to blacken and she had to struggle not to pass out.

"Max," Fang whispered, "Please answer him."

Max turned all of her attention on the doctor and found her voice to reply. He asked him if she knew what happened and she replied, "Yes," surprised at the gruffness of her own voice.

He asked her where she thought she was and she replied, "Hospital."

He asked several more questions before a nurse came in and adjusted her so that she was sitting up.

She offered Max a glass of water and she gulped it down greedily.

The nurse left and Max noticed a drastic change in Fang.

Color was returning to his cheeks and he was smiling gravely. He had begun to look like he was a 15 year old boy, not a 30 year old man.

Max gingerly pointed to her eye and nodded her head in his direction.

He looked confused for a moment and brought his hand to his eye. He winced slightly and smiled weakly.

"I uh kinda got into a fight with Dr. Crawley, the man who shot you. You should see the other guy though," he joked feebly.

Max smiled at the effort and whispered, "Symptoms?"

Max was almost worried that she hadn't been clear enough, but Fang replied, "You broke your foot, bruised a few ribs, needed staples for the back of your head and you lost a lot of blood. Did you know that I'm O Rh? Turns out it's a universal donor."

Max smiled. Fang had given her blood.

"What do the doctors say about our wings?" Max inquired.

"Not much. I called that government agency your Mom works for and they took care of everything."

Max immediately wanted to know what was happening with her mom, but Fang, as if reading her mind, added quickly, "Your mom and Ella are flying in. They'll be here tomorrow."

Max nodded gratefully.

"The government shut the Institute down by the way," Fang said again.

She had never seen Fang talk so much at one time.

"I thought I lost you. We almost did for a second," He whispered, almost to himself.

"I died?" Max inquired incredulously, getting her voice back.

Fang nodded.

"I didn't think I'd see you again," he said again.

Max was touched. She'd never seen Fang look so small and weak.

Max smiled and teased, "You can't get rid of me that easy."

Fang chuckled.

"Where's the flock?" she inquired, noticing their absence for the first time.

Fang gestured broadly around the room.

Max looked around and did notice that they were littered round the room, sleeping peacefully.

She smiled. Her family was safe. They were back with her, where they belonged.

Max said, "You look like shit. Haven't you slept?"

"Thanks. You're very charming."

Max chuckled and replied, "You know what I mean."

He nodded and said, "You've been here for 3 days and you were with them for 1 so I haven't slept in roughly 4 days."

Max moved over in the bed and patted it dramatically.

"Max, I appreciate it, but no. I'll sleep on the ground," he protested.

Max shook her head and patted on her bed again.

When Fang didn't move she said, "You can't say no to me, I'm in a hospital," and shot him an innocent look.

He smiled and rolled his eyes, but he got up and sat next to her on the bed, being careful not to touch her leg.

She leaned over slowly and kissed him sweetly. He kissed her back and they only pulled away for the very necessary air break.

"I love you too," he whispered.

Max was instinctively confused. When had she said that she loved him?

She hazily remembered muttering it while she was 'dying'.

She smiled at him and turned to lie on her side.

Fang followed her lead and they soon were spooning.

She reached behind her and grabbed his hand to drape it over her stomach.

She found it easy to fall asleep and for the first night in a long time, she didn't have any nightmares.

Max could feel Fang smiling behind her and she fell asleep to the sound of his breath.

**A/N: I know it ended a little sappy, but Max needs a little sappy. I hope it was good, but if it's not, please tell me. I'd like to thank VyolytSky13, lelogan, Rhaksha Ora, volleychik12, jdr ride, Jade Empress, , dancerxforlifex3, FangNotFnick, AnnabelLloyd97, Brightcloud, Emma101, tallmiss, macy101catlover, Dolphiness, Max-ride-fax-fan, YellowCheeseburgerz, s, Highest Flyin' Angel, maximumcrazy, Unknown Writer O.o, Warblers4Life, ImmortalXbutterfly007 and epicdisney! You guys are awesome! Thank you for reading. Please review for the final time!**


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